If old music be food for the soulplay on!

Who doesn’t get a thrill when they hear ‘Lag Ja Gale’, the haunting Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1964 thriller Woh Kaun Thi, or Swedish supergroup ABBA’s ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!’ or The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’?

If you belong to a certain age-group, you’ll most likely still want to dance to Queen, Stevie Wonder, Asha Bhosle, or the Spice Girls.

Emotional tunes

When we listen to a song, we don’t just remember the music and the lyrics; we also comprehend the emotions that are being expressed. A recent study that appeared in the journal Music and Science found that there is a strong connection among memory and emotion and music. According to brain imaging studies, our favourite songs activate the brain’s pleasure circuit, causing an influx of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and other neurochemicals that make us feel good. The more we enjoy a song, the more neurochemical bliss we experience, flooding our brains with some of the same neurotransmitters that cocaine affects.

 “Our connection to music extends beyond our conscious awareness and reaches into our subconscious. Music is not considered ‘food for the soul’ for nothing. Childhood is often the happiest and most carefree period of our lives. Melodies heard at this time become deeply ingrained in the mind and prompt happy memories. A similar case can be made for sad emotions. In other words, music heard during any intense event, happy or sad, will carry strong associations with that mood. This makes sense on a scientific level too,” says Jashan Bhumkar, noted vocalist, musician and entrepreneur.

“Music and lyrics are both part of a song, but the majority of people emotionally relate to lyrics more than to music because lyrics are easier for the masses to understand. Music or instrumentation completes the emotions expressed through the words,” singer-songwriter Vishwadeep says.

An emotion being triggered by an old song is an experience almost everybody can relate to — it’s like stepping into a time machine. “The songs we’ve heard many times at parties, in movies, TV commercials, and our favourite TV shows since we were kids are our favourites and carry a strong emotional connect. They give us goosebumps every time we listen to them in later life,” Viswhadeep explains. “For example, ‘Sandese aate hain’ from the film Border is a favourite with many people across the country.”

The math of music

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, an economist, studied Spotify listening data and found that decades-old songs are most popular among listeners who were in their early teens when those songs were released.

“The time period for which a song has been out there is also an important factor. Songs made in the 1990s have been around for more than 30 years, and the number of repeat listeners have been growing over the years, creating a larger fan base for the songs worldwide,” according to Vishwadeep.

Golden oldies

So, is it accurate to say that music from bygone eras is better than the music of today, or does our nostalgia for times past give the older songs an extra boost?

“While there is no doubt that very beautiful songs are still being created today, music prior to the 1990s was less digital and processed much less. Personally, I believe that minimalism makes it easier for a song to forge a long-lasting soul connection,” says Jashan.

“People frequently express nostalgia for old music. Real people, rather than computer programming, were required to play instruments for songs earlier. Nowadays, machines play music which comes with catchy hooks rather than real emotions. Music and musicians from the past were more genuine,” feels Abhishek Sharma, the Indie artiste who formed AaGROH, a rock band.

“Machine-made music doesn't stay in your head for long, but some older songs are timeless. Listening to them can transport you back to that era or replicate what you felt when you heard them in your youth and childhood, and that is how you connect with those songs. It feels more authentic and raw,” he says.

However, it will be interesting to see how this theory plays out in future generations. Music from the past as well as music from the present both have fans,” notes Vishwadeep.

Jashan echoes that thought. “There is more music available today than ever before, thanks to films, OTT/Netflix, independent music, and numerous pop-focused record labels. It will be interesting to see which song becomes the next generation’s ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ or ‘Oh Oh Jane Jana!’” he says.